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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28745028">Take Me Home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WistfulGhostWriter/pseuds/WistfulGhostWriter'>WistfulGhostWriter</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Cabenson Chronicles: Nothing But The Fluff [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Law &amp; Order: SVU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 14:07:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,681</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28745028</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WistfulGhostWriter/pseuds/WistfulGhostWriter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A short one shot set right after the final scene of "Scorched Earth" (13x1).</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Olivia Benson/Alexandra Cabot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Cabenson Chronicles: Nothing But The Fluff [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2107371</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Take Me Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Previously posted on Tumblr.</p>
<p>Thank you for reading! </p>
<p>xo</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alex stepped inside the dark interrogation room and closed the door softly behind her, her eyes trained on Olivia who was leaning against the opposite wall, head tilted back, eyes closed. She walked over to her girlfriend slowly, carefully, as she had seen Olivia approach grieving victims and families so many times before, knowing that she had lost something precious to her today.</p>
<p>"You're here."</p>
<p>Alex took the words as an invitation to finally close the distance between them, wrapping her arms around Olivia's waist, sighing softly when the brunette hid her face in her neck. She ran her hands up and down Olivia's back, trying to comfort, trying to soothe.</p>
<p>"Cragen told me," she explained softly. "Said that you might need someone to convince you to take the rest of the day."</p>
<p>"Thought you'd be the one to do it, huh?"</p>
<p>Alex smiled slightly, pressing a kiss to Olivia's temple. "He knows who wears the pants."</p>
<p>They stayed silent for a few moments, and Alex pulled Olivia further into her embrace when the sobs eventually came. They were quiet, gasping, her tears hot against Alex's skin. Nothing needed to be said, nothing could be said. So Alex stayed silent, pressing kisses to Olivia's hair, rubbing her back, rocking in place.</p>
<p>They stayed that way until Olivia's sobs turned into soft sniffles, her body relaxed against Alex's, the fist that had clenched the lapel of Alex's suit releasing, resting instead over Alex's heart.</p>
<p>"He left. He didn't even say goodbye."</p>
<p>The pain in her lovers' voice made Alex's heart ache and she sighed, pressing another kiss to Olivia's temple. "I know honey, I'm so sorry."</p>
<p>They stood silently, Alex still rocking gently from side to side, stopping only when Olivia pulled back, the look on her face making Alec's heart break all over again. She cupped Olivia's tear-dampened face in her hands, using her thumbs to brush gently under her eyes, wiping her tears the way she wished she could wipe away the pain. "Come home with me," she whispered. "Let me take care of you."</p>
<p>For a moment, Alex thought Olivia would refuse, would put her walls back up and insist that she was fine; tell her that there was work to be done or that she had to respond to a call.</p>
<p>But she didn't.</p>
<p>Instead, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Alex's lips. It was soft, gentle, tender, and tasted like tears and pain and love all in one. And Alex let her, submitting for a moment before pushing back a bit, trying to convey her understanding, her support, her love through the kiss.</p>
<p>When they separated, Alex rested her forehead against Olivia's, hands still cradling her face, thumbs still rubbing across her cheeks. Olivia sighed, turning her head to press a kiss to Alex's palm before whispering: "Take me home."</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Are you hungry?" Alex asked softly as they stepped into her apartment. She helped Olivia out of her jacket, running her fingertips over tense shoulders.</p>
<p>"Not really," her girlfriend replied, her voice tired, almost monotone.</p>
<p>"Ok," Alex replied with a nod, folding Olivia's jacket over the back of a dining room chair before slipping out of her heels. She turned back to Olivia who was simply standing in the middle of the room, arms wrapped around her waist, head lowered.</p>
<p>She looked lost and Alex wanted more than anything to make that feeling go away.</p>
<p>Alex stepped close to Olivia, dipping her head slightly to try and catch the detectives' gaze, offering what she hoped was a comforting smile when she did, even if the tears pooled in Olivia's eyes made her want to shed her own.</p>
<p>"C'mon," she murmured as she took Olivia's hand in her own, leading her to the bedroom. Pressing a soft kiss to Olivia's lips, Alex let go of her hand, moving around the room to gather the most comfortable clothes she could find.</p>
<p>She helped Olivia shed her work clothes, letting them drop to the floor before helping Olivia slip on the soft sweatpants and faded NYPD t-shirt she had chosen for her. She unclipped Olivia's hair, running her fingers through the soft strands. "Go sit on the bed baby. I'll be right there, ok?"</p>
<p>Her girlfriend simply nodded, sniffling softly before walking over to their bed and lowering herself onto the edge, eyes downcast, glistening with unshed tears.</p>
<p>Alex moved around the room swiftly, dropping Olivia's clothes into the hamper in the bathroom before shedding her own and making a brief mental note to take them to the dry cleaners. She pulled on a pair of her softest leggings and a large t-shirt before walking back to the bed, noting that Olivia hadn't moved at all and that the tears that had been collecting in her eyes were now rolling down her cheeks.</p>
<p>Alex kneeled in front of her lover, heart clenching in her chest as she wiped at the tears rolling down Olivia's face with her thumbs. She pressed a kiss to Olivia's hairline before standing and crawling onto the bed, gently pulling Olivia with her.</p>
<p>She rested her back against the headboard, helping her detective settle in her lap, sighing deeply when Olivia immediately curled into her body, face tucked in the crook of her neck When Olivia began to shake with the force of her sobs, Alex wrapped her arms around her, hands rubbing up and down her back, whispering what she knew were platitudes but hoping still that they would be enough to comfort the broken woman in her arms.</p>
<p>"I know sweetheart, I know."</p>
<p>"It's going to be ok, you're going to be ok."</p>
<p>"I'm so sorry baby. I'm so, so sorry."</p>
<p>They laid there until the dusk turned to night, until the moonlight was the only thing that illuminated the otherwise dark room. Alex sat silently, taking in Olivia's deep, steady breaths. She ran her fingers through her detective's hair, nails scratching gently at her scalp, her other hand tracing random patterns on Olivia's back.</p>
<p>Olivia had eventually cried herself to sleep and Alex couldn't recall ever seeing the brunette so distraught. She would have one hell of a headache when she woke up, but what worried Alex even more so than that was her emotional state.</p>
<p>Anyone who knew them knew that Olivia and Elliot were a package deal. They stood up for each other, covered for each other, had each other's backs. When Alex had first met them, the way they always seemed to tag-team her pissed her off to no end. But after a while, she could tell that their partnership, their friendship, was truly one of a kind. She remembered being jealous of their relationship, remembered confronting Olivia about it.</p>
<p>In the end, she had come to terms with the fact that Elliot Stabler would always have a special place in Olivia's heart and nothing would ever change that.</p>
<p>'Except for maybe this,' Alex thought with a small sigh, instinctively pressing a kiss to Olivia's temple.</p>
<p>Olivia stirred, breaking Alex out of her musing. The brunette inhaled deeply as she woke and Alex's heart chest filled with tenderness as she watched Olivia come to. "Hey there beautiful," she murmured, pushing Olivia's hair out of her face as the detective lifted a hand to rub her eyes.</p>
<p>"Lex?" Olivia mumbled, eyes blinking blearily and Alex almost cooed at how adorably disoriented her lover was.</p>
<p>"Yeah baby, I'm here," Alex replied, keeping her voice soft, hand still rubbing Olivia's back gently. She watched as Olivia blinked a few times, taking in her surroundings. She watched the emotions shift over Olivia's features: first slight confusion, then realization, then pain, and then guilt as she turned to meet Alex's gaze.</p>
<p>Olivia opened her mouth to speak but before she could utter the apology Alex knew was coming, she pressed a gentle finger to Olivia's slightly parted lips.</p>
<p>"Don't you dare apologize, Olivia Benson," Alex warned, her tone firm though she made sure to keep it soft as she continued, making sure that Olivia's eyes were locked with hers.</p>
<p>"I love you, I want to share everything with you, even the pain. And I feel so incredibly honored that you trust me with your feelings, that you trusted me to take care of you when you couldn't take care of yourself."</p>
<p>Alex slowly removed her fingers, replacing them with her lips as she pressed a soft, chaste kiss to Olivia's mouth, resting their foreheads together after she pulled away. Their noses brushed as they sat in silence for a moment, their breathing and the sounds of the city below the only noise.</p>
<p>Alex sighed when she felt Olivia's fingers brush her cheek, pulling away only slightly so that she could look into Olivia's eyes, noting that they were once again glistening with tears. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, to offer comfort, but Olivia's fingers stopped her, pressing against her mouth as her fingers had pressed against Olivia's only moments before.</p>
<p>"I love you, Lex," Olivia whispered, her voice raspy with emotion and sleep. Alex smiled against Olivia's fingers, pressing a gentle kiss to the warm digits but not speaking, allowing her eyes to speak for her, hoping that they conveyed all the love she was feeling for Olivia at that moment.</p>
<p>And when those honey-brown eyes sparkled with tears, she knew her message had been understood, loud and clear.</p>
<p>A loud gurgle coming from Olivia's stomach broke their intense silence, both women bursting into a fit of soft giggles.</p>
<p>"Hungry detective?" Alex asked with a smile after they had calmed. Olivia nodded, biting her lip shyly before snuggling into Alex's body again, face tucked in her neck, hand placed over her heart.</p>
<p>"Can we just stay like this for a little bit longer?"</p>
<p>Alex melted at the request, wrapping her arms around her detective once more, her hand finding its place in Olivia's hair once more. She turned her head slightly, pressing soft kisses to the warm skin of Olivia's forehead.</p>
<p>"As long as you want Liv. I'm yours."</p>
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